Tag Archives: Boeing

Post navigation

This post may veer a little off track for those who read this blog solely for opera. However, I wanted to introduce one of my other big interests, which, in a way, corresponds to how opera singers live their lives: Air travel. Ever since I was little I have loved planes and have been fascinated by carriers, types of planes, and the companies of Airbus and Boeing. My family and I even took a trip to Everett, Washington last year, as a side-trip from our vacation to Seattle, to see Boeing’s large building factory where their wide-bodied Boeing 747s, 767s, 777s, and 787s are assembled. (Fun fact: The Boeing Everett Factory is the largest building in the world by volume, measuring at 13,385,375 meters cubed, or 472,370,319 cubic feet). Imagine having an opera house that big? No beloved productions would have to go into storage or be incinerated!

Maria Callas getting off a TWA flight with her poodle at Idlewild Airport (present-day JFK) in 1958

Back to air travel: Air travel is a given necessity in the life of a modern-day singer. In the olden days, they took ships to travel to Europe or trains to get around the United States and elsewhere. It is much easier for a singer to have an international career today thanks to air travel, because it is far more convenient timewise and far more accessible than it used to be. Now, everyone flies!

This is what brings me to an app, for iPhone and iPad, that I would like to promote: Plane Finder. Plane Finder allows you to see any flight that is in the air, along with its carrier, aircraft, from where it is coming and where it is going, and other fun trivia.

The details of a flight from JFK to DXB (New York to Dubai)

By tapping on a plane, one can call up each of these three pages. The first page on the left, or the overview tells you the airline, aircraft, destination, altitude, speed, and other typical factors that would be displayed within flight for passengers. It also lists the flight number, so for those singers who wish to track their friends as they travel the world from opera house to opera house, it is made easy. Finally, by clicking on the plane pictured above, you can be taken to a gallery featuring various photos of the plane.

The second page tells you the distance that the plane has traveled as well as how far it has left to travel. It also lists when the flight should arrive and how long the flight itself lasts. (A flight from New York to Dubai is definitely not quick!).

The third page provides trivia on the specific plane being used for a given flight. For example: This is an Emirates Airbus A380-800, or the “double-decker” plane with two floors and about 800 seats. It tells how old the plane is, how many engines it has, for how long the plane has been flying, and other details. If you click on the history button, you can see where and how often that specific plane has flown over the past several months.

On the bottom left, you can click the playback button to go back in time and watch selected flights take off or land. On the bottom right, you can click the little funnel to filter certain planes or airlines. For example: You can create a filter specifically for Lufthansa 747s to narrow your view.

As a personal favorite, the most interesting plane I have ever seen on the app is the Boeing 747 Dreamlifter. It is a variation on the regular Boeing 747, in that it has the same iconic hump in the front, however, it also shows off an enormous hump in the back, making it look somewhat fat and awkward. It is used to carry parts for the relatively new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which is assembled differently from other aircraft. Only six Boeing Dreamlifters have been built and are flying today.

Most of the time, we can rely on technology to be correct and one hundred percent accurate for us, but everyone makes mistakes: Even the app! Sometimes the Plane Finder app can make mistakes that are downright hilarious:

Top Left: A tiny Air Tahiti Nui plane flying over Washington. It would be impossible for a tiny jet like this to make the journey from Tahiti to Seattle

Top Right: A small China Eastern jet flying from Harlingen, Texas to Dallas…nowhere near Eastern China.

Bottom Left: An American Airlines flight flying from New York (JFK) to London (LHR) turning around for no reason.

Bottom Right: A small Libyan Airlines flight flying over South Dakota…far from North Africa.

For many, this app may sound like a complete waste of time. However, I think that for singers who are obligated to use air travel for their careers, the app is a way to make planes sound more fun and familiar. Download the Plane Finder app in the App Store! (What I have just written shows the features for the full version, which costs $3.99. There is also a free version with limited features). In addition, check out planefinder.net to watch planes on your laptop or desktop. Happy flying!